Up, Up And AFae!
by An0nymouse
Summary: Bo and Kenzi are sent by the Light Elders to Washington to find Aoife. But things don't go smoothly on the flight, as Aoife's one step ahead of them...adult themes


**Lost Girl**

**Up, Up And A-Fae!**

For a change, Bo's day didn't start too badly; she awoke, limbs all a-tangle with Lauren's, the result of another wrestling match…which, again, she'd lost.

_What the hell I am doing wrong? That's _three_ I've lost now! And the cheeky bitch _tickled _me, _again! _She fucking _tickled_ me!_

They both smelled sweaty…but Lauren's sweat always smelled delicious, so she wasn't complaining in the least. She carefully untangled herself and blew gently in Lauren's ear. Lauren gasped and sat up.

"I'll call that a minor victory on points," Bo declared.

Lauren laughed softly. "Bo, I'm way ahead, I can afford a little slack."

They kissed. As always, Bo loved the taste of Lauren's lips and mouth, even in the morning. She was a shameless hedonist, and knew it. She moved to the point of Lauren's chin, coursing down her neck to her small, shapely breasts. Lauren buried her hands in Bo's luxurious dark hair, moaning softly.

On impulse, Bo decided to let Lauren take the lead, which she did eagerly. Shortly Bo's back was arching and she was crying out, Lauren stroking her inner thighs and lapping at her copious love juices as if they were about to run dry (as if).

But she didn't come, because a petulant voice called from the other room: "Hey, get a room! Oh, right, you did. Shut _up!_ Some of us are tryin' to sleep!"

Bo's mounting climax broke in a burst of hysterical laughter. Lauren, too, succumbed to it and took her mouth away from Bo's sopping wet, beautiful pussy, licking her lips.

"Dammit, Kenzi," Bo scolded, not meaning it (much), "I was _there!_"

She didn't stay mad for long, though; she'd discovered early in her friendship with Kenzi that it wasn't really possible. There was no harm, no malice in Kenzi at all; just an overabundance of mischief, and Bo loved her for it. She was fiercely loyal to her friends - a _very_ short list, but like Bo she was a firm subscriber to the maxim 'quality before quantity' - always up for fun, but utterly reliable (if a little doubtful on the housework front). Bo's only regret was that she hadn't met Kenzi at least five years ago.

True, she'd likely still have been in school then, but what the hell.

They shared a decent breakfast for once, courtesy of Lauren, who'd come prepared and was pleased to cook for all three of them. Kenzi belched politely; Lauren, knowing the custom, smiled her thanks.

"You're hired," Kenzi quipped. "Bed, board an' all the tail you can use."

Lauren laughed delightedly; Bo only chuckled. "She can get that anyway."

"It's nice to be appreciated," Lauren told them, pleased. "Actually, I quite like cooking; I don't get to do it much." She sighed. "My research and the Fae tend to keep me too busy for it, I'm afraid."

At that point, Bo caught a hint of something in her voice. She sighed. "Okay, Lauren, what do they want now?"

Lauren's breath caught in her throat. "How - how do you _do_ that?"

"Long practice, plus you're crap at lying or keeping secrets…from me, at least." Bo smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "Spill."

"Um, they have a lead on Aoife," Lauren began, "they think she's in Washington -"

"- and they want _me_ to chase it up, huh?"

"Yes…but isn't that what you wanted anyway?" Lauren pointed out reasonably.

Bo sighed again as she conceded the point, and asked, "When?"

It wasn't long before a very petite, young-looking and pretty courier, with cute points to her ears and a perky little hat, delivered two sets of airline tickets and a small but reasonable bundle of cash to the Dal Riata. Bo stared at her curiously.

"Um, I hope I don't offend you, but...oh, hell, I gotta know: are you an elf?" she asked.

"A sprite," the girl giggled in a high soprano, clearly not offended in the least. "My mother's an elf. It's nice you asked." She gazed at Bo in awe. "I've never met a succubus before…I didn't know they were so tall, or so beautiful."

"I have my fans, yeah," Bo told her modestly. She carefully ignored Kenzi pretending to throw up. She then took conscious note of how _cute_ the girl was. She _looked_ to be no more than sixteen, but being Fae, she could easily be ten, twenty, even fifty times that, or more.

_Fuck it. You only live once._

_She's got to be old enough; I doubt Trick would let her in the bar otherwise._

"Hey, listen: what time do you get off work?" Bo asked her, reaching to stroke the girl's ear, unable to resist it. She looked a little startled, but didn't object.

"Bo, you _gotta_ be kiddin'!" Kenzi gasped. "That's practically kiddie fiddlin'!"

The sprite gasped, too. "Are - are you offering me bedroom favours?" She blushed clear to her pert, pretty breasts. "Oh, my! Oh, I'm sorry, my lovely, I'm _so_ flattered, honestly, but - but - you're just too young for me!"

With a smile, a wave and in what Bo later swore was a burst of what appeared to be fairy dust, she was abruptly gone. Kenzi collapsed in laughter.

"Róisín turned 370 last week, Bo," Trick chuckled sympathetically, "don't take it personally. Would you like a drink, perhaps something to soothe slightly bruised feelings?"

"Just a beer, thanks," Bo requested, a little dazed. "Róisín, huh?"

"It's Celtic; it means 'little rose'," he elaborated.

Once Bo had recovered at least a _little_ of her poise (and Kenzi had stopped laughing), she riffled through the package Róisín had delivered to her.

"_Two_ sets of tickets. Hmm," she noted. "Seems you've been favoured, Kenzi."

"It would be unwise to go alone, Bo," Trick pointed out, "and you'll need someone you can trust at your back." He looked rueful and added sadly, "Unfortunately that's a very short list, isn't it?"

"Trick, I know you haven't told me everything you know about my mother. I also know why, and I appreciate the intent. I _will_ trust you again; once you tell me everything you know - _everything,_ this time. Are we clear?"

"As crystal," he nodded. "I promise, Bo: when I can, I will. The time's not yet right. But you deserve to know, and you will, I swear."

Bo decided to accept that on trust, and dismissed the matter…for the moment.

"So," Kenzi bubbled eagerly, "Washington, huh?"

"Kenzi," Bo reproved, "this is _not_ a holiday, okay? We're going after my crazy bitch from hell mom."

"Yeah, yeah, you see it your way an' I'll see it mine!"

Flight United 729 (United Airlines, bound for Washington Dulles) took off at precisely 09:22, exactly on schedule. That was the last time that day that _anything_ would go to plan.

The first few hours of the flight passed without incident. Having taken their seats near the back of the airliner, Bo stretched and relaxed. Kenzi was too wired to do so; she was like a kid on Christmas morning, as she'd never flown before. Ordinarily Bo would have told her, irritated, to calm down already, but she hadn't the heart. She made do with a rueful smile exchanged with a stewardess, whose nametag read 'Cindy'.

Bo noticed she was a natural blonde, and her interest was immediately piqued. There was something about blondes that just _did_ it for her…

"Kids, huh?" she chuckled wryly, getting a grip.

"First time flyer?" Cindy asked Bo, gently.

"Me, no. My friend here, yeah. We're, uh, looking up a relative of mine. We're not even sure she's _in_ DC, but it's the best place to start."

"Can I get you anything…?" Cindy began, and then looked more closely at Bo. The scrutiny worried her. "Um…is…is your name Bo, by any chance?"

"Yeah," Bo admitted, warily. She and Kenzi exchanged 'uh-oh' glances.

"It's okay," Cindy told them, very quietly, "I know about the Fae; my best friend is one - she's a shifter."

"Really? What kind?" Bo asked, relieved and interested.

"Lynx, actually. She's so beautiful, in _either_ form..." Cindy glanced quickly up the aisle, apparently towards the cockpit, and then seemed to reach a decision. "Listen…I think I may need your help, if you're who I think you are."

On seeing the speculative look in Bo's eyes, Kenzi rolled hers. "Oh, God, she's off," Kenzi moaned. "Cindy, I hope you're into girls big-time, 'cause if you're not, you're gonna get the shock of your life…!"

No-one spared them more than a glance, as Bo gave a convincing imitation of airsickness; naturally a stewardess would help a passenger in distress. The compartment was, fortunately, big enough for the two of them.

"Okay," Bo breathed, "either you're up for a little mile-high fun - I hope - or there's something wrong here. Given the way my life usually goes, I'm guessing the latter. Start talkin'."

"First, Bo, I have to know - my friend mentioned a neutral, one who hasn't joined either side." At Bo's look, she shrugged. "Word gets around. She said the neutral's pretty good in a fight. Was she talking about you?" She nearly collapsed in relief at Bo's curt nod. "Good, because…I don't think our pilot's legit, and I'm not sure about the co-pilot, either."

"Not legit?"

"I think they're fakes. I'm pretty sure we've altered course at least once. Wherever we're going, it's _not_ Dulles."

The implications were immediately clear to Bo.

"Oh, crap. So who do you think they _are?_ Terrorists or whatever? And how do you know?"

"I've been a stewardess for twelve years," Cindy told her quietly, "and I've lived through one hijack. You just…get a feel for these things. I…I've seen people die. Passengers I was supposed to be protecting. I can't go through that again. Can you help?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know, I just…I'm sorry, I was hoping _you_ could come up with something."

Bo thought carefully. "Well…my main strength is that I'm a succubus. I can influence people if I touch them. But the cockpit's off-limits to passengers, of course…"

The idea hit them both at the same time.

"But not cabin crew."

"Take off your uniform," Bo ordered, and began a rapid strip herself. She was a little bemused by how quickly Cindy complied. There was something in her body language that was highly suggestive…

_Fun later,_ Bo told herself reprovingly._ Let's make with the saving of lives first - including your own and Kenzi's, you horny bitch!_

But she couldn't resist taking a few moments to admire Cindy's taut, shapely body, the two wisps of silk she was almost wearing doing very little to conceal her charms. Bo just barely stopped herself from licking her lips. Cindy's scent - tinged more than a little with fear - was heavenly. It was all Bo could do to keep her hands off the girl, but she knew too well what would happen and fought the desire. She succeeded…barely. No trace of her inner struggle showed on her face.

_Don't want to scare her off, but, God, she smells so good …_

"Okay. You stay here for the moment; I'll go forward and get some coffee. Listen, do you have any hand-to-hand training?"

"Y - Yes, it's required these days," Cindy quavered. "But I've never actually _used_ it -"

"And hopefully you won't need to now. But -" Bo cupped Cindy's frightened face in both her hands and firmly locked gazes with her, "- you might. _Be ready._ There are people depending on you, okay? Get it together, keep an ear on things and be ready."

Cindy nodded - then, on impulse, leaned forward and kissed Bo firmly.

Bo's only comment was: "Thought so." She stroked Cindy's cheek and murmured, "Later, okay?"

"Be careful," Cindy pleaded. Bo only chuckled ruefully.

"I've never been careful, Cindy. This is no time to start."

On seeing Bo now decked out in a stewardess's uniform - and looking oddly fetching in it - Kenzi's first impulse was to wolf-whistle, but a shushing gesture from Bo choked down the impulse. Kenzi knew Bo too well to assume she'd changed clothes for any trivial reason.

Which meant…

"Girlfriend, is there some reason you're joinin' the ranks of the wage slaves?"

"Yeah," Bo told her in a low, terse voice, "possible hijack."

Kenzi's jaw dropped. "You are _so_ kidding me!" she hissed incredulously.

"I wish. Listen, just stay behind me. You've got my back, right?"

"_Always_, dude!" Kenzi affirmed, chirpy as always but somewhat pale.

"Then stay close. Here we go…"

_"United Seven-Two-Niner, this is Dulles Tower. We show you fifteen miles, repeat one-fiver miles, off glide path and at altitude of 14,500 feet. Advise you correct to course one-three-eight immediately and descend to 12,000 feet. Seven-Two-Niner, do you read?"_

The flight crew did not reply. In fact they couldn't. They had received no such orders from their controller. No-one aboard suspected a thing.

They thought.

They heard a soft knock at the door. "Hey, guys," a muffled, female voice was heard, "coffee?"

The pilot exchanged glances with his comrade. Neither wanted or needed any coffee; indeed, soon they would never need anything again. But it was too soon to break cover. Besides, she was only a woman, and therefore easily dealt with if need be. The pilot nodded; the co-pilot opened the door, to be greeted by a dark-haired woman in a stewardess's uniform, smiling brightly. "Hi, guys. Coffee?"

The co-pilot nodded, returning the smile - it would be expected - and reached for the tray. He took casual notice of Cindy's nametag…and remembered too late that Cindy was blonde.

His exclamation died in his throat, as Bo's artfully placed fingers brushed his own and she concentrated for all she was worth. She said, maintaining her persona, "No, it's okay, I'll just put it down here…"

The pilot, somehow sensing something was wrong, started to rise from his seat, and then Bo struck.

She tossed the tray at him, grabbed both his and the co-pilot's hands, and growled, _"Sit the hell down!"_

But she made a mistake: immediately she touched the pilot, she _knew_ who'd sent him, and the sudden stab of knowledge into her forebrain caused her to jerk reflexively. Not only that, she _recognised_ him!

_Oh, no! Not -!_

She lost her grip on him…and thus her control. He wasted no time lashing out, catching her solidly in the head. She fell backwards back through the door, stunned.

Abruptly a gun was in his hand - but Bo gave him no chance to use it. An elegantly-clad leg sent a practically-heeled shoe deep into his gut; he doubled over. She kicked again and the gun went flying. He roared and went for her, but Bo was more than ready.

The passengers were stunned to see what appeared to be a stewardess and the pilot engaged in hand-to-hand combat, lurching down the aisle as they struggled. That was bad enough, but then a young girl saw the fallen gun and screamed in panic.

The aisle dissolved into chaos.

People started yelling and screaming, fighting to retreat further down the aisle - where Cindy had emerged despite her current state of _dishabillé_ (she hadn't been able to bring herself to put on Bo's clothes) and started using her training to try to calm people down. Considering the situation, she proved to be amazingly effective in doing so.

Bo saw none of this; she was too busy screaming in agony as the pilot grabbed her, pulled her close and gave her right breast a brutal squeeze. Bo was so debilitated by this dirty tactic she nearly passed out. The pilot threw her to one side up the aisle and dived for the gun. He fired a shot, which burned through Bo's hair, and roared, _"QUIET!"_

Surprisingly, the passengers complied, though several were in tears or hysterics. He levelled the gun at Bo and ordered her, "You - go forward where we can keep an eye on you. No tricks."

"Or you'll shoot me?" she braved.

"That won't matter soon."

"Why?" she challenged. "What's the game plan here?"

"Quiet! Forward!"

"I think my friend behind you might have something to say about that," Bo told him cheerily.

He snickered. "Please. That tactic is clichéd and older than my mistress!"

His look of utter surprise was quite understandable as Kenzi, standing behind him, belted him over the head with a piece of hand luggage - which, as it turned out, contained a set of small workout weights. He collapsed untidily.

"Ever thought about _why_ clichés become clichés, buddy?" Kenzi grinned.

"Got my back as usual, I see," Bo smiled back; they high-fived. "Nice job."

"You _know_ it, girlfriend!"

Once the passengers had returned to a modicum of calm (and Cindy and Bo had reclaimed their respective outfits), Bo, Kenzi and Cindy headed into the cockpit. The pilot was slowly coming round; the co-pilot was still insensible from Bo's earlier treatment of him.

"Okay, first things first," Bo directed. "You two, find anything you can to tie these guys up. I want a _word_ with them. Then we can see about getting help."

"Dude," Kenzi piped up uncertainly, "what kinda help are we talkin' here? Do you happen to have Superman's number, 'cause we're, what, 14,000 feet up in the air? Plus with these creeps tied up and all, there is, like, _no-one to fly the freakin' plane?_"

"I _know_ that," Bo replied tiredly. "We need to get in touch with Air Traffic Control so they can - I don't know, guide us down or use the autopilot or something. Cindy, who do we need to call?"

"Uh - the - the closest ATC from here would still be Dulles Tower. We'd be better off sending out a general mayday, though; anyone who picks it up will pass it on."

"Okay," Bo nodded, "sounds like a plan. How do we do that, though?"

"Um, I hate to say this, but…I don't actually know," Cindy quavered.

Bo and Kenzi both stared at her. Kenzi was the first to break the awkward silence: "So we are, basically, totally screwed?"

"Maybe not," Bo said thoughtfully. "_These_ guys know how."

"But they won't help us, surely?" Cindy ventured fearfully.

But Bo only smiled. "Oh, we'll see about that…"

Once the two were secured, Bo squared her shoulders and stated determinedly, "Right, here we go -"

She was interrupted by the chief stewardess's entrance. "Cindy, what the hell's going on? Why were you fighting with our pilot, and," her voice rose incredulously, _"what the fuck are _passengers_ doing in the cockpit?_"

Cindy stumbled over the words to explain their predicament.

Bo did not.

She was at the woman's side in an instant, and stroked her cheek. "It's okay," she noted the woman's nametag, "Alexis. Everything's okay. You just go back to the passengers and keep them calm, and we'll take care of stuff here." She smiled seductively. "All right?"

"Sure," Alexis, entranced, smiled back dreamily. "Mmm, yeah…"

She shook her head as if confused, then exited without another word.

Cindy looked on in awe. "How…how do you _do_ that?"

"I'll explain later, Cindy," Bo told her brusquely. "Now I've gotta do it to Captain Chaos here, and I don't know if it'll work." She stared meaningfully at Kenzi. "He's already been got at."

Kenzi proved her quick-witted intelligence once again by immediately divining Bo's meaning. "Dude…you'd better not be talkin' 'bout what I think you're talkin' 'bout. We totally do _not_ need that kinda trouble on our case!"

"I recognised him, Kenzi," Bo said tightly. "He's one of her decorations, all right. Now be quiet, both of you, I need to concentrate here…"

She moved close to the man, took his face in both hands and gave it all she had as she commanded: _"Wake up."_

He jerked awake, his head whipping from side to side as if he were looking for an escape route…as if there were anywhere to go. She ordered, _"Look at me."_

The pilot did so; Bo began to feel a little more optimistic. _So far so good_, she thought_._ "Okay. I need you to get on the radio so we can send a general mayday. Can you do that?" He nodded. "More to the point, _will_ you do that?"

Obediently he operated a couple of controls. The radio burst into life:

_"United Seven-Two-Niner, this is Dulles Tower! You are still off course and too high! C'mon, guys, what are you _doing?_ We've had word that the Air Force is scrambling F-16s out of Andrews, with orders to shoot you down if you get any closer to the White House! Seven-Two-Niner, _do you read me?_"_

"Oh my God," Kenzi breathed, horrified. "Bo, c'mon, do your stuff already!"

"Okay, okay, I got this…Dulles Tower, this is United Seven-Two-Niner, declaring emergency. I say again, Seven-Two-Niner declaring emergency. We need help!"

The ATC operator jumped in her seat. _Holy crap! This had to happen on _my_ watch!_ She turned quickly in her seat to catch the Chief's eye. "Sir! I've got Seven-Two-Niner! They're declaring emergency, sir!"

"Got it, Lisa," Ian McBride nodded. "What's their situation?"

Lisa Hobbart turned back to her station. "Uh, roger, Seven-Two-Niner, we acknowledge your transmission. Please identify yourself and state the nature of your emergency."

_"Copy that, Dulles. This is, uh, Cindy Matthews, I'm a stewardess - the pilot and co-pilot aren't available, and they're not the real deal in any case. They're secure, everyone's okay, but…we don't have anyone to fly this damn thing - can you help us?"_

This was the very last thing Lisa wanted to hear. She refrained from wetting herself only with a major mental effort.

_Oh, no. Oh, dear God, no. We train for this, but no-one ever expects it to _happen!

Glances were being exchanged throughout Dulles Tower's control room. The Chief's deputy called for emergency crews without requiring an order to do so. The Chief himself glanced at the hot line to the FBI, but checked himself. No need to call the Feds until he was sure _why_ he was calling them.

"Stand by, Seven-Two-Niner," Lisa replied, knowing she was _way_ out of her depth and needing the Chief's advice. Before she could turn to him, though, Seven-Two-Niner called:

_"Hey, what part of 'we don't have anyone to fly the plane' wasn't clear?"_

"Cindy," Lisa answered reasonably, while quivering inside, "please try to stay calm. There's no immediate danger; you're currently just under 14,000 feet and descending slowly. There's plenty of time, but I need to check with the chief of operations, okay?"

_"Okay, but make it fast, will you?"_

"Okay, people, listen up," McBride intoned. "The situation with United Seven-Two-Niner is as follows: we apparently have a bogus flight crew, who the cabin crew have identified as such, subdued and secured. That's the good news. The bad is that Seven-Two-Niner is on course for the White House and two fully armed F-16s are closin' on her fast. So we have 561 passengers and crew about to bite the big one unless we turn that bird around. I want everyone on their toes here. Lisa - you made initial contact with them, so I want you to bring 'em in. I know what you're thinkin', honey," he added on seeing Lisa's look of fright, "but you can do this. Jerry, we got a make on this Cindy Matthews yet?"

"Yeah, Chief, she's listed as cabin crew, she checks out," Jerry Myers, his deputy, replied confidently. "She's been with United twelve years now. Married six years, no kids -"

"So we'll proceed on the assumption that what we've been told is accurate. Let's do it."

_"United Seven-Two-Niner, this is Dulles Tower, do you read?"_

"We read you, Dulles. What do you have for us?"

_"First, is everyone okay? Are the passengers secure?"_ Bo glanced at Cindy, who nodded.

"Yeah, they're good. But we're kinda peeing our pants up here in the cockpit, so…"

_"Okay, the first thing is to get you back on course, and then you can engage the autopilot. I can handle you remotely, so you don't need to worry about flying or landing. It's all automatic," _she explained. _"The Airbus A380 has advanced avionics, and it can literally land itself."_

"Well, _that's_ good to know," Bo couldn't resist.

There followed a brief but intense course on which controls did what, and a limited amount of _very_ tentative practice. By the time she was done listening to Lisa's terse but comprehensive instructions, her confidence was growing. Finally she was ready.

And none too soon; she heard an abrupt yelp from Kenzi, who was looking out the port window. Hovering behind and to one side was an F-16, looking decidedly unfriendly.

_"Seven-Two-Niner, this is Lieutenant Karen Dawes, out of Andrews AFB, call sign 'Showboat'. Report your status, please. Over."_

"Girls flyin' fighters, huh? I like!"Kenzi whispered to Bo.

"That 'girl' is ready to blow us out of the sky if we screw up, Kenzi, so can it for now," Bo admonished. "Showboat, this is Seven-Two-Niner, we read you. We're good. We're, um, just about to change course, if that's okay."

_"Copy that, Seven-Two-Niner, we're watching. Good luck, ma'am."_

_"Okay, Cindy, are you ready? You need to start the turn, but remember: the controls are _very_ sensitive. Let's make that turn nice and slow, okay? There's no rush."_

"I'm ready," Bo answered. She glanced back at Cindy. "Better tell everyone to hang onto their hats, Cindy. I've never done this before." She smiled, but Cindy wasn't reassured. Bo sympathised, but didn't dare take time to cross to her and comfort her. But then Cindy seemed to rally, and announced the situation crisply over the PA system. Bo, meanwhile, took a firm but light grip on the steering controls, as Lisa had advised.

_Wonder what she's like? She sounds young, and pretty._

_Oh, for God's sake, get a fuckin' _grip,_ Bo! Let's _do_ this already!_

She began to turn the controls, very slowly. The Airbus responded immediately - and too quickly, as Bo instantly realised.

_Dammit, we're tipping over -!_

So did Lisa. "No, no, slow down, Cindy, you're over-steering," Lisa told her calmly, though inside her head she was screaming _no, no, ease off, ease off!_ "Let her do the bulk of the work - cut back a little."

The radar display showed the aircraft slowly swinging back into line as Bo complied. "Okay, that's good, Cindy. Hold it steady for a few more seconds…a little more…okay, we've got it!"

_"Should I start bringing us down?"_ Bo asked.

"No, the autopilot will handle that, don't worry about it," Lisa dissented. "Okay, Cindy, you're back on glide path, now forty miles away from Dulles, holding at 11,000 feet. Now, just like I told you, engage the autopilot, and do _not_ touch any other controls, okay? You're doing fine," she added encouragingly.

The entire control room held its breath as they watched the aircraft's status display, repeated on the big screen from Lisa's station. Then the 'autopilot engaged' panel lit up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, well done, Cindy. We're okay now. We're receiving telemetry directly, and we've got you. Everything's gonna be just fine."

The control room broke into a storm of applause. Lisa finished typing in commands that would link her console with Seven-Two-Niner's autopilot and thus give her full remote control of the aircraft. The autopilot acknowledged, and she relaxed. Now she could program the autopilot with flight directions and landing commands at her leisure; Seven-Two-Niner was as good as down. Lisa turned in her seat, and had the proudest moment of her life as the Chief gave her a grin and a thumbs-up.

_You got it, girl. Well done._

_"Okay, Seven-Two-Niner, Dulles reports you're back on course and they have you under control," _Lt. Dawes reported. _"Lookin' good. Base, this is Showboat, reporting all clear. I say again, all clear. Returning to base."_ With that, the F-16s peeled off and were quickly lost in the clouds.

On the Airbus's bridge, Bo and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

"So we're on autopilot now? We're good?" Kenzi jittered.

"We're good, Kenzi," Bo smiled, almost collapsing. That was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, yet it was a lot easier than she'd thought it would be. She mentioned this curiously to Cindy, who shrugged and said, "Avionics has come a really long way, Bo; it's gotten to the point where we hardly even need pilots now."

"So why have 'em?" Kenzi wondered.

"The only answer to 'why' is 'money', Kenzi. Always," Bo returned cynically. But to her surprise, Cindy begged to differ.

"No, it's not that, Bo. The thing is, automated systems are just fine when everything's going smoothly, which is usually the case. But when it _isn't_, there's still no substitute for a real pilot. Remember that Airbus that ditched in the Hudson? Chesley Sullenberger was flying that aircraft, after the autopilot _refused_ to attempt a water landing - but it was the only way, they couldn't make it to an airfield with the damage they had. That was a decision no autopilot system could make, then or now, maybe not ever. I'd still rather fly with a real pilot, believe me - and I'd fly with Captain Sullenberger even if both wings were on fire and we'd lost the landing gear. Any cabin crew would."

"So _anyone_ can fly one of these? Even with no training?"

"Well, yeah, in theory, provided they were getting instruction and advice while they were doing it, from a qualified air traffic control officer. The Mythbusters did it in a flight simulator, remember?" She grinned wryly. "After trying it by themselves first, and crashing pretty spectacularly, of course. That's where the training and experience come in. But yeah, if they had to, pretty much anyone could do it." She smiled warmly. "You _did_."

Bo smiled back, pleased with herself.

"So, now we ain't gonna crash or get shot down, what do we do about our two laughing boys here?" Kenzi inquired grimly.

Bo lost her smile. "Well, let's see." She grabbed the pilot again and ordered, "Tell me where she is."

"'She' who?" Cindy wondered to Kenzi.

"Bo's mom," Kenzi shot back. "She's a crazy-ass psycho bitch from hell. Betcha wish you hadn't asked, huh?"

Cindy nodded feebly.

_"Tell me where she is!"_ Bo tried again, more stridently. "Do I have to enthrall you?"

"Do you think you _could?_" he returned, amused. "Do you even know how?"

"I'll give it a shot. Of course, if I get it wrong I might end up draining you, but," Bo informed him coldly, "I won't weep overly much about that because, hey, you just tried to _kill_ us. It's your choice…"

He saw her eyes and knew she wasn't kidding. But he only shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oh, come _on!_"

"I honestly don't know where she is. She _was_ in Washington, but I doubt she still is. She must have heard about us by now on the news."

"Fuck," Bo cursed quietly. "Did she know we were coming?" He didn't reply. She gripped him harder. _"Did she?"_

"No," he gasped weakly. "But she thought you _might_. She _knows_ you, Bo."

_I guess she does, at that. Dammit, the Morrigan's right - I _am_ too damn predictable._

"Why? Why was she doing this? What was she _doing?_"

"I have a recording which will answer your questions - in my top pocket," he offered.

Bo started to reach for it - then thought better, and resumed her grip. "Kenzi," she requested, "take it out. Be careful."

"Um, why? You're, like, right _there…_"

"Yeah, but I don't want to let go." She glared at the guy. "I don't trust our male model here."

"'Male model'?" Kenzi ventured curiously.

Bo chuckled wryly. "Kenzi, I have seen this guy with his shirt off. Seriously, he looks Photoshopped. She likes that kind of thing." She chuckled again. "Truth be told, so do I."

Kenzi slid her hand slowly and cautiously into the pocket, apparently not enjoying the experience…though Bo knew better. She slowly withdrew an iPod. "Gotcha." She quickly discovered the iPod held only one file, and pressed Play.

_"Given my instructions to this fellow, there's only one person who's likely to be listening to this. Hi, Bo, Mom here."_

"No surprise," Bo said sourly.

_"I imagine you have a lot of questions, but the only one that really matters is 'why?' Okay, here it is, sweetheart: apparently the powers that be aren't as ignorant of the Fae as they _should_ be. One of the Dark Elders was going to meet the Vice-President to discuss the Fae, after which he would brief the President. Well, we couldn't have _that_, could we? I have my own plans, and I can't have humans knowing too much about us too soon. So I decided to do something about it. I could have just sneaked in there, I suppose, but you know me; I'm a sucker for a dramatic gesture. It doesn't come much more dramatic than an airliner crashing into the White House, does it? I'll be watching the news to see how it goes, but then again, if you're listening to this it means you stopped it. Bummer._

_"But before you get too pleased with yourself, you interfering little bitch, I suggest you consider that your stopping me means that _the humans know about us._ The most powerful human in the western world _knows_ about the Fae. You _think_ about that, Bo, and what it means for _you_ - especially as _neither _side has any interest in protecting you, since you're a neutral. Doing the right thing isn't as simple as you seem to think. Also, I know you're trying to find me, but let me assure you that you _won't,_ not until _I _decide the time's right. Do take care of yourself, stay away from that shifter who's nowhere near good enough for my little girl, and watch out for the Fae. Bye!"_

Bo and Kenzi exchanged glances.

"Uh-oh," Kenzi ventured.

"They know. They know about the Fae."

"Our fault. Oops."

"Jesus, Kenzi, what have we done?"

"You've saved nearly 600 people, _that's_ what you've done!" Cindy cried. "You did the right thing, Bo! Never mind the damn Fae, there are _families_ on this aircraft! What right did your mother have to kill them, just to keep your damn secret, huh?"

"Cindy, you don't understand. The Fae are on the brink of war as it is, and if humans find out about them -"

"Surely they can deal with it some other way?" Cindy interjected.

The solution hit Bo as she realised Cindy was right. "Can we make a call from here?" she asked.

"Well, you shouldn't, but that's the stewardess in me talking," Cindy answered wryly.

A quick phone call to Aoibheann, one of the Light Elders (and, she claimed, Bo's grandmother) was all it took.

_"Don't worry, Bo. We will inform the Morrigan immediately. There was no _official_ plan to inform the humans of our existence, of course; this Dark Elder Aoife spoke of must be acting on his own initiative. Fool. No matter, he will pay for his folly, and anyone he might have told will have their memories modified. We have an agent in Washington; she will attend to the matter, and ensure Aoife's Thralls are removed from official custody and suitably dealt with. As for you and Kenzi," _Bo could hear the smile in her voice, _"you may as well treat this now as an impromptu holiday, since your mission has clearly failed. No matter. At least all is well otherwise."_

"Yay!" Kenzi cheered.

"You're, uh, not gonna charge us the air fare?"

_"That would be petty,"_ Aoibheann reproved her_. "The failure was not your fault, Bo. Incidentally, I think you handled this very well; I shall so inform the Elders. You must, however, stay out of the spotlight; I leave the details of that to you. We will, of course, require a full briefing when you return."_

"Of _course,_" Bo groused, but accepted it good-naturedly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll shortly be landing at Dulles Airport. We apologise for the delay, but, well, you know how it is. Please be assured that all is well, and we hope this experience hasn't put you off flying with us in the future. On behalf of United Airlines, we thank you for your patience and understanding."

Cindy clicked off the PA, and sighed. "That should hold them until we land."

"In the meantime," Bo noted, "we have to decide what the press are going to hear about this. Specifically, how you saved everybody from these would-be hijackers."

"How _I _-? Bo, I didn't -"

"Sure you did. You subdued the pilot. I was really impressed."

Cindy's jaw dropped. "That was _you!_"

"And who knows that apart from us?"

"The passengers! They _saw_ you!"

"No, they saw _you. _At least they saw a tall woman in a stewardess's uniform. With my hair gathered under the cap, no-one will have noticed the stewardess wasn't blonde, so who's gonna know? Look, people believe what they want to believe, okay? Think about it: you've been working as a stewardess for twelve years, right? How come you aren't a _chief_ stewardess by now?"

"Well, I…I guess I haven't been noticed," Cindy faltered. "I've never been that ambitious…"

"So this is your big chance, girl," Kenzi enthused, seeing where Bo was going with this. "Fame an' fortune! You're a freakin' heroine!"

"No, I can't," Cindy protested. "Bo, _you're_ the heroine! I can't take the credit, it's not right!"

"And _I_ can't take it, because I'm Fae," Bo pointed out. "If my face is splashed all over the news and the Internet, sooner or later - probably sooner - someone's gonna recognise me, and they're gonna link me with certain murky parts of my past that I'd much rather no-one knew about. Besides, they might find out I'm Fae, and then we're all screwed."

Cindy protested a while longer, but all that achieved was to further convince Bo she deserved the chance. Only someone who deserved it would argue so hard that they didn't. They spent the next hour rehearsing the details for the inevitable media circus.

And Bo moved among the passengers, talking to anyone who might know the truth and convincing them otherwise. By the time she was done, she was exhausted, and shamelessly took a hit of chi from the pilot and co-pilot, reasoning with a skeptical Kenzi that they still needed to be kept subdued.

They didn't _quite_ die.

The circus lasted a number of hours, but it worked. When the news hit the Internet, it was Cindy, not Bo, who became the latest media darling, and Bo was relegated to being just another passenger…much to her relief.

Kenzi was less sanguine: "Dammit, Bo, this _sucks!_ We are freakin' heroines, an' nobody knows it!"

"They _can't_ know it, Kenzi."

"I know, I know, but…ooh! I _hate_ this!"

"To be honest, so do I. You're right, we deserve recognition…but we can't claim it," she finished gently, "you know that. We'll just have to be unsung heroines. Besides, _we_ know we did it. Isn't that enough?"

"I guess it'll have to be," Kenzi nodded reluctantly.

"We can at least celebrate. We _will_. We'll pick out a fancy restaurant, you can misbehave as much as you want - I'll even look the other way while you filch some of the cutlery -" She didn't believe Kenzi's indignant pout for an instant, "and then we'll hit a club or two, or three. Suits?"

"It's a plan," Kenzi agreed, mollified. "Hey, wait - what about Cindy? Didn't you promise her, uh, a little fun?"

Bo grinned saucily. "I did, didn't I? Okay, celebrations first, and _then…_"

Some hours later, Cindy answered her doorbell, to see Bo standing there, smiling.

"Hi. Can I come in?"

"Bo, I really don't know why I've agreed to this. I'm _married_, happily so."

Bo slid her arms around Cindy's neck. "If you weren't keen at all, why'd you kiss me in the restroom?"

"That - that was spontaneous, I didn't intend to -"

"I know, I'm teasing," Bo smiled. "I have that effect on people. I'm a succubus; it goes with the territory. Listen, I'm not going to pressure you. I _could_, you know that, right? But I won't. You deserve better." She kissed Cindy softly on the lips. "You can tell me to go, and you won't ever see me again. It's up to you."

"You know I can't," Cindy murmured. "Not because I'm attracted to you, though I'll admit I am, but because - well, you saved my life. I can't just turn you away. That wouldn't be fair."

"Thanks, but honestly you don't _have_ to sleep with me. That's not how it works. I just hoped you'd be up for it. You _are_, right?"

"I - I've never…Bo, I've never even kissed a girl before, let alone…"

"It's okay," Bo reassured her gently. "I promise you'll enjoy it."

"Bo, I am _married_…it's still cheating on a man I love very much. I _can't_. Please…"

Bo shrugged. "Call him. There's no reason he can't join in."

_"What?"_

"I swing both ways, Cindy. Let's see if _you_ do. C'mon, he'll probably think it's Christmas, if I know men…and believe me, I do. What's he like?"

"You mean, physically?"

"And personally; that's important, too. I guess he's a good guy, you did say you were happily married? What is he, a hunk or a geek?"

Cindy couldn't help but laugh. "Both, actually; he's a software consultant, and he's...oh, here, I've got a photo in my purse…"

The photo showed a _very_ handsome man in his late thirties, black-haired with just a touch of grey at his temples. It lent him a mature air. Bo liked him immediately.

She liked him even more when he proved receptive - enthusiastic, in fact - to the notion of a threesome. As Bo had correctly guessed, it had long been one of William's favourite fantasies. The fact that he turned out to be every bit as gorgeous as any of Aoife's Thralls didn't hurt one bit.

As for Cindy, she was soon in utter ecstasy, being pleasured as she was both by her husband and Bo.

The room absolutely reeked of sex, a mixture of male and female musk and fresh sweat…Bo's favourite smells by far.

"Oh, God," Cindy sighed, her body gleaming in the low light, her face still flushed with arousal, "please, guys, don't do that to me again. I couldn't take it. I'd die."

On her left side, William chuckled; Bo, on her right, stroked Cindy's full breasts, teasing her nipples. She inhaled, and sighed again.

"I can't decide what I liked more," William told Bo, "my pleasuring her or _you_ doing it. I guess I'm being a typical guy in saying that I just love watching Cindy come, even when it's someone else doing that for her. And for it to be done by another woman as beautiful as she is, well, that just about blows a guy's mind."

"For me, that's the best part of sex: seeing your partner enjoying herself," Bo replied, leaning over to kiss him, "or himself. Whichever." She smiled and hugged them both. "Thanks, guys. After the day I've had, I really, _really_ needed this."

"Yeah, I guess heroine work really takes it out of you, huh?" he teased.

"Hey, _Cindy_ was the heroine here, remember?"

"We don't need to pretend _here_, Bo," he answered, fondling her right breast. "Thank you for what you did. Cindy's my whole world; I can't imagine not coming home to her. I worry enough about her in her job, but…" He sighed. "But we settled this matter years ago, I know. Despite the danger, she loves it, and I can't ask her to give it up." He kissed Cindy. "I won't."

"Thanks, honey," Cindy murmured.

"Especially not now you'll get that promotion you deserve, huh? Hey, how can they not?"

"It still seems dishonest," she protested mildly.

"Cindy, you did your part," Bo reminded her. "So we exaggerated a little. So what? Besides, we _can't_ tell 'em the truth; it'd do way more harm than good."

"I can still hardly believe it - that there's a whole different genus living alongside us," William marvelled. "And they've been there for thousands of years. Amazing."

"And dangerous," Bo had to point out. "Guys, I'm serious: you can_not_ talk about the Fae to _anyone_ who doesn't already know. I don't know what they'd do; I guess it'd depend on which side got to you first. I don't think the Light Fae would do more than wipe your memories or something, but the Dark Fae…" she shivered, "I wouldn't put _anything_ past them. Stay quiet, stay safe, okay?"

"We will," Cindy assured her. She sat up and moistened her lips, a bright light in her eyes. "Now to happier things: Bo, I think it's high time _we_ pleasured _you._ William?"

"Oh, yeah," he grinned, "works for me. C'mere, gorgeous!" he directed.

"Don't I get a choice?" Bo protested…while spreading her legs eagerly and licking her own lips in anticipation. William laughed and placed a firm kiss between Bo's breasts, fondling them, while Cindy moved down the bed, placing kisses along the entire length of Bo's body. Bo arched her back in utter pleasure and sighed contentedly. It was nice to let someone else do the work, even nicer that neither would be dead the following morning…she hoped.

She'd devised a strategy, though - every time she doubted she could control her hunger, she remembered Lauren's words to her the last time they'd made love and she'd expressed doubts:

_"__You have it under control now; it won't ever happen again, you won't _let_ it happen - not now you know what you are, and what you can do, and why it happened before.__"_

_"It won't ever happen again. You won't _let_ it happen."_

_"You won't let it happen."_

And she didn't. To her joy, Cindy and William both survived the night.

The next morning, Cindy and William awoke before Bo. For a while, neither said a word, simply admiring the beautiful woman lying between them, wondering how it was that they'd taken a complete stranger into their bed, _welcomed_ her, in fact…and had the best sex either one had _ever_ had.

Still without speaking, each laid a gentle hand on one of Bo's breasts, and lightly tweaked the nipple. She awoke instantly with a sigh of what they assumed was pleasure. In fact it was, but it was the pleasure of knowing they were warm and alive. She debated whether to tell them that, decided she should, but that it could wait until they'd had a shower and breakfast…and maybe a little more fun, too.

"Hi, guys," she murmured. "Nice to see you," she added, and the three exchanged warm, passionate kisses. As was her wont in the morning, Bo was instantly aroused, adding to the wet patch. Cindy, one hand stealing under the bedclothes to caress Bo's pussy, discovered this, and her breath caught.

"I am _so_ gonna taste that again," she breathed, unable to resist. She disappeared under the bedclothes; Bo gasped as Cindy's questing tongue found her moist sex. In seconds, she was dripping wet and moaning with pleasure.

"Didn't you two get enough last night?" William joked, kissing Bo deeply, caressing her tongue with his own.

Bo broke the kiss, her eyes glowing electric blue. William stared, fascinated. "I can _never_ get enough," she husked. "I'm _insatiable._" She cried out as Cindy's now-expert tongue (she was, Bo had discovered, a quick learner) found her clit.

"Oh, God, I am _so_ gonna need screwing in a minute, guys!"

"_Not_ a problem," William assured her lustily. Shortly Bo and Cindy were locked in a frantic 69, each licking the other for all she was worth, while William slid easily into Bo. Her muffled screams might have woken the neighbours, had the couple not spent a small fortune soundproofing the bedroom shortly after they were married.

William knew his wife _very_ well.

"Wow, what a pick-me-up!" Bo enthused afterwards, covered in sweat and utterly dripping. "You two totally rock! I haven't been this awake in the morning in longer than I can remember!"

"I love the way you've trimmed your pubes," Cindy remarked, kissing Bo between her legs, "just baring your pussy lips and leaving the mons alone. I think _I'll_ try that."

"According to Heinlein, a woman who shaves or otherwise depilates her pubic hair has a profound interest in recreational sex," William observed. "Speaking as a connoisseur of pussies and the gorgeous girls that come with them, I've never yet encountered an exception to the rule. Every girl I've ever bedded who'd done anything to her pubes was totally, _always_ up for it."

"Seems you married an adventurer, Cindy," Bo teased. "How do you know he still isn't?"

"Well…he _is_," Cindy admitted, "but so am I. We should have told you - we have an open marriage."

"So what was that about cheating on him?"

"Oh, we don't just bed _anyone_, or without letting each other know. Our only rule is: _be honest_. If I have any kind of adventures - and believe me, there are few people in the world hornier than airline cabin crew, so there _have_ been a few - I always ask William about it first. He pays me the same courtesy whenever he's on a business trip. We keep things open and honest, and that keeps our marriage fresh," she smiled warmly and kissed her husband, "and happy."

"Yeah, this is kind of a departure for us," William told Bo, "but the circumstances _were_ unique. Besides, Cindy _did_ ask me about it first, when she called me. I couldn't believe it when she said she'd invited a _woman_ into our bed, but no red-blooded man's gonna turn down _that_ offer, believe me!"

"We should have done this ages ago," Cindy murmured regretfully, "I'd no idea another woman could be so much _fun_." She hugged Bo out of pure affection; Bo gladly returned it. "Thank you, Bo. Thank you so much. I might never have known."

"I'd bet at least one of your female colleagues has the hots for you, Cindy," Bo grinned. "You should ask. Lesbians are comin' out of the closet even faster than gay guys these days. Hell, name me a single soap opera that hasn't had at least one dyke in the past ten years."

"I've always loved _The L Word,_" William quipped. Cindy looked reprovingly at him and demanded, "Why the hell didn't you _tell_ me you wanted to see me with another woman? I'd have been willing to give it a go for you, honey, if you'd just asked."

"Sorry," he apologised, "I wasn't sure if you would. I didn't want to upset you. I wasn't sure how you'd take the idea of a threesome, either."

Cindy maintained her reproving expression a moment longer, and then let it melt into a fond smile. "Oh, okay, I'll forgive you. I always do," she told Bo. "I'm too soft with him."

"You have to indulge 'em," Bo grinned, "but I find it's worth it."

"One thing _I_ couldn't believe is how much of a thrill I got from watching you fucking another woman, William," Cindy told him, shaking her head. "I _loved_ it. You didn't fuck Bo the way you do me, though."

"She likes it rough," William informed her, "I can tell. I know you don't, so I always try to be gentle with you."

"There's a difference between rough and passionate," Bo pointed out, "but you're right. I'm aggressive, I'll admit it; so gentle sex doesn't really work for me unless I'm fucking a woman. Mind you, I did get it rough with a female athlete once…"

She stopped, remembering.

The guilt overwhelmed her, as the realisation of what might have happened hit her hard. Cindy, sensing something was wrong, took Bo in her arms and drew her close.

"Bo, what's wrong?" she asked kindly.

"Um…I have a confession to make, guys. I'm sorry; I should have said something before…"

Cindy was startled to see tears in Bo's eyes. She stroked her hair. "Tell us, Bo," she encouraged her gently.

"You won't like it," Bo admitted, and told them haltingly of the last ten years of her life:

Kyle, her very first lover - young, inexperienced, but kind, a young man she'd adored; Steven, with that delicious tan and sculpted ass; Chloe, with her soft, so very soft, bright blonde hair (all the way down, to Bo's delight - she'd always liked genuine blondes); Ranjit, a Pakistani student who'd offered to teach her stuff from the _Kama Sutra; _Sarah and Michael, the softly-spoken Southern couple she'd found herself utterly unable to resist when they'd offered her a night of fun, because they'd both smelled utterly delicious and Sarah had had that luxurious honey-blonde mane going on; Eloise, the athlete, so tall and graceful, such power and energy, who'd so enjoyed rough sex and given Bo a run for her money in terms of stamina - others, too many others...

_All dead…I killed them…I didn't mean to, didn't _want_ to, but…_

But to her surprise, they understood, and didn't react with the fear she'd expected.

"Well, it can't be _that_ bad," Cindy observed fairly, "we're both okay."

"That's only because I've recently learned to control it. This time last year…you'd…you'd both have been dead now…"

"We're _not_," William said firmly. "Bo, I get what you're saying, but that's in the past, surely -"

"No, it _isn't!_" Bo cried. "I could still lose control, I could still drain someone! I could have _killed_ you both!" She started crying. "I'm sorry, I should have said something, but I just wanted you both so bad, I'm too damn selfish…"

"Oh, Bo," Cindy murmured, near tears herself, "it's okay, it's okay. Come here, sweetheart; it's okay…"

She cradled Bo like a mother cradling her child, stroking her, reassuring her. William, too, began caressing her, taking up a position behind her to stroke her hair. Slowly her sobs subsided.

"Have there been many, Bo?" Cindy asked as gently as she could. Bo nodded miserably.

"Too many," she lamented. "Every lover I ever had, died. But I couldn't _not_ do it, the hunger wouldn't let me. I spent years thinking I was some sort of freak, but I didn't dare try to get help. How _could_ I? I'd have been hauled in by the Feds as a serial killer or something."

"They'd have had a hard time proving _casus mortis_," William noted. "Western science and medicine don't even recognise the concept of chi. If the cops couldn't _prove_ you'd killed them, they couldn't charge you with anything." He smiled. "Take it from a _CSI _fan. The most that could've been proved was that you'd had sex with them, and that never killed anybody."

"Yeah, I know that _now_, but…I…I was only 18 when it first happened. Actually, the guy popped my cherry that night, and I loved it. I know now he wasn't much of an expert, but I did enjoy it, he was good to me…but the next day he was dead." She shivered. "I panicked. I ran. I didn't know what else to do…I've been running ever since. For ten years now…"

"You must have been so scared, so lonely," Cindy sympathised. "I'm so sorry."

Bo smiled gratefully through her tears. "Thank you." They hugged.

"So you didn't know what you were?" William asked tactfully. "No-one told you?"

"No. My parents - my foster parents - did try to put me off the idea of sex, but…" a wry look, "How the hell do you do that with an 18-year-old stacked virgin who, by then, was frankly gagging for it and had every young guy in town sniffing after her? God, I was _desperate…_But if you're talking about the Fae - I don't know _what_ the deal was. Apparently a Fae midwife took me away and left me with Sam and Mary Dennis. I still don't know why - one reason I'm so mad keen to find my birth mother again is to pin her down somehow and find out. I haven't a clue who or where my father is; she refused to talk about him." She sighed. "It doesn't help that she's crazy, either."

"My friend told me about the two factions," Cindy recalled. "Which one are you with? - oh," she added, "You said neither, didn't you?"

"Yep," Bo told her proudly. "They tested me - translation: they had me fight with an ogre or something, and a weird creep who got into my head -"

"Testing your body and mind?" William suggested shrewdly.

Bo looked askance at him. "What, are you into Dungeons and Dragons, or whatever it is these days?"

"World of Warcraft, usually," he grinned, "but when I was a kid, yeah."

"- and they told me to choose a side. I did." She too grinned. "They weren't best pleased."

At that point, Bo's phone rang. She exhaled in mild exasperation; there was only one possibility. She answered: "Hi, Kenzi."

_"Whoa, are you addin' telepathy or clairvoyance to your Fae repertoire now, girlfriend? 'Cause if you are, let's go hit Wall Street, we'll be millionaires by sundown!"_

"Who else would it be?" Bo sighed. "What's up?"

_"Nothin', I just wanted to know if the hot sweaty fun's done with and, if, y'know, she's still…"_ Kenzi trailed off tactfully.

"Yes, she's still alive, Kenz. So is her husband, by the way," she added impishly.

_"Whoa! Gettin' it at _both_ ends, you _go,_ girl!"_ Kenzi whooped.

"As for the rest, just let me have a shower and breakfast, and I'll meet you at - say, twelve? The pizza parlour?"

_"Works for me. You can tell me all about it. Well, not _all_ about it, you know how sensitive I am,"_ Kenzi quipped.

_Yeah, right,_ Bo thought amusedly, and hung up.

"Breakfast sounds good to me, Cindy," William yawned.

"I'd like a shower first," she suggested. "Is there room for all of us?" she added saucily.

Bo gave her a smouldering look. "If there isn't, I'll knock a wall through," she promised, grabbing Cindy about her waist and pulling her close for a firm, wet kiss. "I would _love_ to see you all wet and soapy. Let's go!"

There followed an hour of fun which Bo merrily described as 'dirty clean'. The actual ablutions took only a few minutes; the rest of the time was spent in rather more entertaining, slippery fashion accompanied by much giggling and cries of sensual pleasure.

"I love sharing a shower," Bo remarked, hugging them both, "it's a way of getting clean and dirty at the same time." Cindy laughed. "I must try this with Dyson, if I can find him," she groused.

"You will," Cindy assured her. "I don't think there's anything you can't do, Bo. Besides, with _you_ to come home to, why would he hide?"

"That's what I'm worried about," she said soberly. "God, I miss him."

"Where did you put it all?" William wondered, amazed, as Bo polished off a large and varied breakfast with a sigh of repletion and a smile of thanks. "Do you always eat that much?"

"William!" Cindy scolded mildly. "That's no way to talk to a guest!"

"No, it's okay," Bo smiled. "And yes, I do indulge whenever I get the chance. Two reasons: first, I never know where my next meal's coming from or even if there'll _be_ one, so I eat whenever I can; second, I don't get fat - ever. Something about my metabolism doesn't let me, according to Lauren; it's one of the side benefits of healing. Apparently it uses up any excess fat reserves, so I don't have to worry about dieting. Plus I always work out, to stay in shape."

"There are girls all over the world who would kill for that," Cindy sighed.

"So what are your plans, Bo?" William asked politely. "I mean, you're welcome to stay with us for a while."

"Oh, please do!" Cindy pleaded. But Bo smiled gently, regretfully.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I honestly wish I could; you've really made me feel welcome, and that's not something I'm used to." She reached out, squeezed their hands. "But I do have responsibilities: things to do, people to see, a war to prevent…a wayward boyfriend to look for. Besides," she grinned, "someone has to keep an eye on Kenzi." She sobered. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time, guys, and I'm really grateful. I think I needed a break."

"We had fun, too, Bo," William told her gently and sincerely. "You're not just beautiful and sexy; you're intelligent and funny, too. And let's not forget what we owe you."

Touched, Bo fought back tears and hugged each in turn. "Thank you," she murmured. "That means a lot to me. After ten years of being alone, it's so _good_ to have friends…"

They gave her a lift to the pizza parlour; Kenzi was already there, and showed a surprising amount of tact by keeping her distance, out of earshot, while Bo made her farewells.

"We'll miss you," Cindy sniffled, hugging Bo and squeezing her tightly. "Come back soon."

"I'll try," she promised, meaning it. An idea struck her. "Hey, could you guys wait a year? Why not make this an annual event?"

"Yeah," William enthused, "as long as there's no hijacking!"

They laughed, and now William hugged Bo, patting her butt firmly. She wiggled it in mischievous response, enjoying the contact and the implication. She'd loved the mild spanking William had administered, and was determined to introduce Dyson to the pleasure, if she could get past his reserve.

She might even try spanking Lauren and see what developed. She was owed a little payback for the tickling incidents.

"So that's a date?" Cindy asked hopefully, "This time next year?"

Bo gazed at her and smiled warmly at both of them. "That's a date - sooner, too, if I can. You two take care of each other, okay?"

"We will," they promised, "You too, Bo."

With a final hug, kiss, mutual fondling and butt-patting, they got in the car, waved and departed.

"Hey, girlfriend, everythin' okay?" Kenzi called.

Bo crossed to where she was waiting, and hugged her firmly. "Yeah, I'm good."

Before their flight departed, they spent a while in Washington, seeing the sights, partying, behaving for all the world like regular tourists. There was only one slight down point, when they were admiring the Lincoln Memorial. A woman slightly shorter than Kenzi, with short black hair and wearing a nondescript blue overcoat, took up a place beside Bo and murmured, "Well met, Bo."

Bo and Kenzi exchanged glances. "Have we met?" Bo bluffed.

The effort was wasted. "No, nor will we ever again. The Elders ordered me to seek you out before you left Washington. You are to report to them on your arrival. Tell them Aoife's Thralls are secured, and that they told the authorities nothing. The Dark Fae Elder was successfully intercepted." She smirked. "He, too, will be telling no tales outside school. The U.S. Government remains ignorant of us, as they should."

"Great," Bo shrugged noncommittally. "You couldn't have told 'em all this yourself?"

"Of course, but since you are returning anyway…" the woman likewise shrugged, "I don't believe in wasted effort. One other thing," she added. "It is my understanding that there are at least two humans who now know of our existence, and that _you_ told them. Don't bother to lie," she snapped, seeing Bo working up to a protestation of innocence. "We _know._ However, if you can give us an assurance that they will stay silent, we will take no action."

Bo turned to her and snarled defensively, "Leave them alone! They're innocents - they don't know anything other than the bare facts! They haven't done anything wrong!"

"I _am_ aware of that," the woman reproved her mildly. "Nevertheless, even you, a non-affiliate, are aware of our rules."

"They won't say a word," Bo insisted. "Hell, they _can't_, not after what _really_ happened on that flight." She explained. The agent nodded and relaxed. "That is satisfactory. I will visit them, as a purely precautionary measure, but I give you my word that no other action will be taken. Some humans _are_ trustworthy, it must be said."

"Cindy already knew about the Fae," Bo admitted. "She's friends with a shifter - a lynx."

"Ah. That would be Siobhan O'Donnell," the agent noted. "She is known for having many human friends. I was not aware she had entrusted her secret to even one, though; I will have to visit her, too. At all costs, our security _must_ be maintained. I have _your_ word that it will be?"

Bo took Kenzi's hand. "On my friend's life, yeah," she affirmed.

"Hey, whoa, girlfriend!" gaped Kenzi.

"Well met, then," the agent declared, satisfied. "Safe journey to you both," she wished them as she departed, as silently as she'd arrived.

The flight home was almost without incident…almost.

Once again, Bo and Kenzi were seated near the back of the aircraft; Kenzi had claimed the window seat. "This was _fun_, Bo - we gotta do it again sometime!"

"I wish," Bo agreed ruefully, "but we could never afford it."

"Well, we _could_, if you'd just, y'know, bend your rules just a _little,_" Kenzi suggested carefully, "an' hit up some guy - or several guys -"

"Don't you have _any_ moral sense?" Bo chided. "It'd be _wrong_, and you know it - it's hardly better than slipping something into someone's drink," she added pointedly, reminding Kenzi of how they'd met…and what it had cost a would-be rapist.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kenzi grumbled. "We gotta be the good guys, right?"

"Right," Bo nodded firmly. She was only peripherally aware of a stewardess passing by their seat…until said stewardess gasped, _"Bo!"_

Bo whipped around - to see, of all people, Cindy.

A broad grin threatened to unzip her face. "Small world, huh?" Bo chuckled. "Apart from the obvious, what are _you_ doing here?"

"Oh, I decided to put in a little overtime, to show willing - I got word," she added, smiling equally broadly, "my promotion's in the bag! As of next week, I'm a _chief_ stewardess. Not only that, I'm being headhunted - I've had offers from Delta, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and even Hong Kong!" she bubbled.

"God bless the Internet, huh?" Kenzi grinned, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Things are definitely lookin' up, then," Bo commented, well pleased for her, "you deserve it. But there _is_ just one little thing…"

"What's that?"

"This is not a coincidence, is it?" Bo gazed meaningfully at Cindy, who blushed.

"Well…"

"_Is_ it?"

"Busted," she sighed. "No, I _was_ hoping to catch you on your flight out. I couldn't resist," she confessed. "William wished me luck."

"Hmm…"

Kenzi groaned. "Oh no, not again…"

Bo turned to her, all innocent surprise. "What?" she asked.

"Bo, you got that _look_ in your eye again…"

"What look?" she protested, maintaining the façade even though she knew she was totally, as Kenzi would have put it, succubusted. Kenzi's effort to imitate the 'look' made her laugh.

"_That_ look, girlfriend! Remember what happened last time, not all that long ago, I might add? We were freakin' _hijacked!_"

"And that was _my_ fault _how,_ exactly?" Bo demanded, _faux_ miffed.

"I just don't believe in temptin' fate, that's all."

But Bo wasn't really listening; she only had eyes for Cindy…who, she knew, was getting wet as she stood there. She _knew_, because apart from the flush starting at Cindy's neckline, her widening pupils and her hardening nipples, Bo could _smell_ her.

"I think I'm feeling airsick again," Bo told them, trying not to grin. "Um, ma'am, could you help me, please…?"

Cindy smiled brightly…and licked her lips. "Certainly, madam; the restroom's right this way…"

Kenzi was left to stare after them, shaking her head wryly. "Airsick indeed…we ain't even freakin' taken off yet!"

Shortly after takeoff, it occurred to the chief stewardess that she hadn't seen Cindy in some time, and inquired of a colleague as to her whereabouts. Rhoda Fisher grinned at her. "She's in the restroom, ma'am, attending to a passenger."

"Oh. Okay," Andrea Carson acknowledged. Then it hit her. "She's been in there half an hour or more, surely."

"Um, could be," Rhoda nodded. She was still grinning. That was the tipoff.

"Okay, Rhoda. _What_, exactly, is Cindy up to with this guy? As if I couldn't guess -"

"What guy? The passenger's a girl," Rhoda told her. "And _what_ a girl - she's tall, brunette, way stacked, an' freakin' gorgeous." Her grin widened. "Maybe Cindy's branchin' out, y'know?"

Andrea sighed. "I know she's being promoted next week, and God knows she deserves it, but this is taking liberties. We've only just taken off!"

"Aw, c'mon, Andrea, lighten up an' give her a break," Rhoda beseeched her. "She'd do it for you…"

Andrea thought about that. "She would, wouldn't she?" She sighed again. "You know, that's _why_ she kept missing out on promotion: she kept giving people breaks instead of pushing for what she could get."

"Least she wasn't steppin' on toes," Rhoda pointed out fairly.

"No," Andrea conceded, "she'd never do that. Okay, I'll look the other way…this once. But get her the hell out of there in, oh, an hour, no more," she decided.

"Isn't that _your_ job, bein' the chief?" Rhoda quipped.

Andrea smirked. "The art of leadership is delegation. Consider yourself delegated."

As it happened, this decision had, for Rhoda, an unexpected bonus. She knocked politely on the door, where she could hear faint giggling and what she was sure were sexual sounds.

_Fuck me,_ she thought, _you go, Cindy!_

She caught a scent, and was abruptly, much to her surprise, aroused.

_Oh, yeah…fresh pussy. God, that smells good. Wait, why am I thinkin' that when I'm not even a lezzie?_

But she managed to keep her voice level as she inquired, "Cindy? Ma'am? Are you okay in there?"

More giggling, and low voices; Rhoda couldn't quite make out what was being said. Then the door opened. Cindy emerged, looking every inch the professional…except for a slight flush to her cheeks. The passenger, on the other hand…

To her shock, the passenger was utterly naked, face flushed and sweating, hair wild and disheveled…and looking at her as if she were something good to eat.

The smell of raw sex was incredible; Rhoda's nipples were instantly rock-hard, her panties soaking.

"C'mere," she urged Rhoda seductively, in a throaty, sexy voice. Rhoda suddenly found herself unable to refuse; she was mesmerised by a blue glint in the girl's dark eyes, or had she imagined it?

Dear God, she was a _vision._

"Have fun, Rhoda," Cindy grinned, blowing her a kiss.

_What the hell am I _doing? Rhoda wondered incredulously. _But I - I can't say no…oh, God, she's beautiful…!_

It was the last coherent thought she had for some time as Bo took her in her arms and drew her in. Cindy winked at her, and closed the door…

"Is everything okay, Cindy?" Andrea asked pointedly as Cindy made her way for'ard.

Cindy smiled. "Sure. She's all right now, ma'am."

Andrea almost asked the question, caught a hint of a plea in Cindy's eyes and thought better of it. As the airline's current heroine, she'd earned a little slack. It wasn't as if it didn't happen practically every day, on practically every airline; people were people, after all.

She didn't miss Rhoda for nearly an hour…


End file.
